Aerosol cap construction



y 1955 e. H. KLUN 3,185,351

AEROSOL CAP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 21 il i 32 GODFREY H. KLUN A TTORNE) May 25, 1965 G. H. KLUN 3,185,351

AEROSOL CAP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GODFREY H. KLUN A T TORNEV United States Patent 3,135,351 AERQdQL CAP CGNSTRUCTIQN Godfrey H. Kiun, Parma, Ohio, assignor to Union Qarbide Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 266,613 16 Ciairns. (Cl. 222-182) This invention relates to a cover-cap construction for a pressurized aerosol container adapted to dispense a spray de-icer composition onto the windows or windshield of an automobile, and more particularly refers to a cap structure provided with a scraping device and directional guide means.

Pressurized aerosol containers are now commonly employed for dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto the windows or windshield of an automobile in order to remove frost and thin ice formations therefrom. These containers are normally provided with a depressible valve device having a nozzle and a removable cover-cap mounted to the top of the container over the valve device in order to protect it against accidental actuation when not in use. When the aerosol container is to be used, the cover-cap is first removed and placed aside on the automobiles hood, fender or other suitable resting place. The valve device is viewed in order to apprise the operator of the direction toward which the spray will issue, then the valve device is depressed taking care that the nozzle is pointed in the desired direction.

With some presently known de-icer compositions, it is generally difficult to remove relatively thick ice formations from the surfaces of the automobile windows or windshield quickly and consequently a separate scraping device must be employed to supplement and aid the action of the de-icer composition in removing such ice formations or in removing other solid matter. Thus, it will be evident that in order to properly operate a conventional aerosol container, a definite procedure must ordinarily be followed which may involve a number of steps, especially when a separate scraping device is employed to remove relatively thick ice formations as hereinabove described.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a cover-cap construction for an aerosol container adapted to dispense a spray de-icer composition onto the windows or windshield of an automobile, which cover-cap construction is provided with a cleaning device for breaking away ice formations while permitting the de-icer composition to be simultaneously sprayed.

It is another object to provide an aerosol cap structure which contains directional indicating guide means to orient the valve nozzle away from the operator when the valve device is actuated.

Yet another object is to provide an alternate cleaning device for breaking away relatively thick ice formations while also permitting the de-icer composition to be simultaneously sprayed.

It is a further object to provide an aerosol cap structure which need not be removed prior to using the device.

It is a still further object to provide an aerosol cap structure which is provided with a guard portion for precluding the inadvertent actuation of the valve discharge button.

These objects and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typical aerosol container embodying the cover-cap construction of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a broken side view of the device of FIGURE 1, taken axially and partially shown in section.

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FIGURE 3 is a broken rear view of the device of FIGURE 1 in elevation.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a cover-cap for an aerosol container somewhat similar to that of FIG- URES l, 2 and 3 but slightly modified; and

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of FIGURE 4 shown in perspective.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, there is shown a pressurized aerosol container 10 of a conventional construction. The container 10 is usually cylindrical in shape and is provided with upper and lower beads 12 and 14 respectively. A conical upper wall portion 16 of the container 10 supports the valve assembly (not shown), a hollow valve stem 18 and the finger operated, depressible valve button 20. An apertured nozzle 21 is provided in the button 20 which communicates with the valve assembly through the valve stem 18 and thus with the reservoir of fluid in the container. The conical wall portion 16 is conventionally closed at its top end about the valve assembly by an annular shaped bead 22 and at its lower end about the upper bead 12 of the container 11). The valve depress button 20 is ordinarily provided Wtih gripping means 24, such as transversely extending ribs on its top surface so that it is easily engaged by a finger and will preclude the finger from readily slipping and sliding oil the button 20. It is not necessary to further describe the details of construction of the aerosol dispensing device 10, inasmuch as such devices are well-known to those skilled in the art, and since no further description of it is required for an understanding of the present invention.

in accordance with the instant invention, there is provided for use in conjunction with the pressurized aerosol conainer 1d, a novel combination scraping device and directional cover-cap construction designated generally by the numeral 26. The cover-cap 26 is generally bellshaped and is provided with a finger recess portion 28 partly formed by the slightly raised and rounded peripheral portion 30 and by the downwardly extending prominent concave portion 32. As seen in FIGURE 2, an aperture 34 is provided in the finger recess 28, the button 20 extending beyond the lower surface of the recess 28. The aperture 34 may be suitably equipped with keying means such as, for instance, flats 35 (as clearly shown in FIG. 5) on one or both sides thereof, to prevent relative turning between the button 2% and the cover-cap 26. The flats 35 are angled with respect to each other rather than parallel to each other so that the cover-cap 26 cannot be assembled out of phase with the button 20. The cover-cap 26 is also provided with a cone-shaped passageway 27 which is in alignment with the nozzle 21, when the cap 26 is aiiixed to container 10. This conical passageway 27 provides the discharge passageway for the fluid (de-icer composition) which is ejected from the container 10. The passageway 27 also minimizes any loss of de-icer fluid which could be trapped inside the void space between the cap 26 and container 10. It further reduces the tendency for snow and ice to become trapped therein or interfering with the nozzle in any subsequent spraying.

An important feature of the cover-cap 26 is that the peripheral portion 30 constitutes a guard for the button 263 and prevents it from being inadvertently depressed, as might happen if the aerosol container 10 were to be brought into contact with an external object as for instance, by dropping, bumping or even during shipping.

The novel cover-cap construction 26 further comprises an integral, transversely elongated, scraping and cleaning blade 36. This outwardly flared blade 36 is provided on its outer end with a relatively sharp beveled scraping edge 38. The blade 36 may be disposed at an acute angle formed with the axis of the container 10, an angle from about 12 to about 15 degrees being suitable in the practice of the invention. A preferred angle is 12 degrees. The outwardly flared blade 36 juts out beyond the maximum diameter 'of the container 10 thus preventing it from rolling if the container 10 is placed on its side.

The cover-cap structure 26 is also provided with an annular ferrule or lip 40 which when snapped onto the annular bead 22 maintains the cover-cap in a normally permanent immovable position. The entire cover-cap can be made of any desired material, or combination of materials, although it has been found to be particularly desirable to use certain types of rigid plastic materials which simplify the cost'of producing the cover-cap, in that, the plastic parts can be readily molded. If desired, the blade 36 may be cemented or fused to the cover-cap 26 itself rather than being molded and integrally formed therewith. Plastics which have been found suitable in the practice of the invention are high density polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene and the like. However, in some instances, portions of the cover-cap may be made from metal, such as the scraper blade with the main body of the cap. being plastic.

A more preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. As there shown, the covercap 41 is similar to the cover-cap illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, except for a lower serrated scraping blade 42 which is suitably smaller in width than the blade 36 but relatively thicker. The lower blade 42 is notched or toothed on the scraping edge 44, thus forming a plurality of V-shaped marginal teeth 46. The contoured roots 48 of the teeth 46 are rounded whereas the crests 50 are flat straight edges. The blade 42 juts out slightly beyond the upper bead 12 thereby precluding the bead 12 from possible scratching of the windshield glass during scraping.

Any number of teeth may be utilized, and the center to center distance between the teeth is not overly critical. The teeth aid in quickly removing heavy to medium ice formations on a windshield by enabling the de-icer composition to readily penetrate deep into the ice.

Briefly, the manner in which the device of the invention is used may be stated as follows: By gripping the cylindrical portion of the aerosol container 10 in one hand, either scraping edge of the blades 36 and 42 may be engaged with the snow and ice formed on the windows or windshield of an automobile. Using the index finger of the hand which grips the container 10, the valve actuation button is then pressed to release the de-icer com-.

position which will be discharged via the nozzle 21 and sprayed onto the snow and ice. As the de-icer composition contacts the snow and ice and immediately begins to melt and defrost the same, the action of the scraping-cleaning blade will supplement, assist and aid the action of the deicer dispensed, thus quickly melting and removing the snow and ice formations on the windshield.

It is to be understood that many changes and modifications in the details of construction of the cover-cap herein described will occur to those skilled in the art and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An aerosol device for dispensing a fluid de-icer composition onto a surface to remove frost and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a container having a manually operable valve construction and a valve-actuating button engageable therewith, a bell-shaped cover-cap having a finger-recess portion and an aperture in said finger-recess portion for receiving said button, said button extending beyond said aperture when said valve structure is in both an open and closed position and lies below the crest of the walls formed by said recess, the crest of said recessed portion having a slightly raised and rounded periphery near the top thereof which precludes the inadvertent actuation of said button and a downwardly extending prominent concave portion so that the index finger of the operator is accommodated to direct the flow of said de-icer composition in a direction away from said operator when said button is depressed, a scraping-cleaning blade which flares outwardly to form a wide scraper edge disposed adjacent to said raised portion of said covercap and a passageway therein for permitting the fluid contained in said device to be discharged therethrough.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cover-cap and said blade are integrally molded from a high density plastic material.

3. A cover-cap assembly for use with a spray deicer dispenser having an actuating valve stem and valve actuating means projecting therefrom, said cover-cap comprising a rigid plastic conically-shaped body having a finger recess portion and at least two apertures therein, one of said apertures bordering said valve actuating means in said finger-recess portion and the other of which provides a passageway for permitting said de-icer composition contained in said dispenser to be discharged therefrom, said recess having a depth which permits said valve actuating means to lie in the valley of said finger-recess portion thereby precluding the inadvertent actuation thereof and having a shape which orients an operators finger in the direction of spray, and an integrally molded cleaning-scraping blade disposed near said discharge aperture and flaring outwardly to form a wide scraper edge.

4. The cover-cap assembly of claim 3 wherein said edge is beveled.

5. The cover-cap of claim 3 wherein a second blade is secured to said main body portion below said discharge aperture.

6. The cover-cap of claim 5 wherein said second blade is smaller in width than said first blade and is provided with a plurality of teeth.

7. An aerosol device for dispensing a fluid de-icer composition onto a surface to remove frost and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol. container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating means, a cover-cap secured to said container about said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage and an aperture for receiving said valve actuating means, said valve actuating means having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a blade member provided with a plurality of teeth integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding in the removal of said ice formations from said surface.

8. An aerosol device for dispensing a fluid de-icer composition onto a surface to remove frost and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button, a cover-cap secured to said container around said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage and an aperture for receiving said valve actuating button, said valve actuating button being engageable with said valve and having a nozzle aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a blade member provided with a plurality of teeth associated with said cover-cap in relatively close proximity to said discharge passage and integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding the removal of said ice formations from said surface.

9. An aerosol dispenser for use in dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto a surface to remove frost and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button, a cover-cap secured to said container about said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage, an aperture for receiving said valve actuating button and guard means provided about said valve actuating button for precluding the inadvertent actuation thereof, said valve actuating button having a nozzle aligned with the discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a blade member provided with a plurality of teeth integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding in the removal of said ice formations from said surface.

10. An aerosol bomb of the type for use in dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto a surface to remove frost and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a cylindrical pressurized aerosol container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve'actuating button, a cover-cap attached to said container about said valve assembly, said covercap having a discharge passage, an aperture for receiving said valve actuating button and means for discharging said spray de-icer composition in a desired direction, said valve actuating button having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said spray de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a blade member provided with a plurality of teeth integrally formed with said cover-cap, for mechanically aiding in the removal of said ice formations from said surface.

11. An aerosol bomb of the type for use in dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto a surface to remove snow and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet; said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button communicating with said valve and said de-icer composition retained in said container by means of a valve stem, a cover-cap attached to said container about said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage, an aperture for receiving said valve actuating button and combined directional guide means for discharging said de-icer composition in a desired direction and for precluding the inadvertent actuation of said valve actuating button, said valve actuating button having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a blade member provided with a plurality of teeth disposed adjacent said discharge passage and integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding in the removal of said snow and ice formations from said surface. 7

12. In an aerosol device for use in dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto a surface to remove snow and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container containing said de-icer composition having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button,'a cover-cap secured to said container around said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage and a recessed portion containing an aperture for the passage of said valve actuating button therethrough, said valve actuating button having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, said valve actuating button extending beyond said aperture in said cover-cap in both an open and closed position and residing below the crest of the walls formed by said recess so as to preclude the inadvertent actuation thereof, and a blade member having a plurality of teeth associated with said cover-cap in close proximity to said discharge passage and integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding in the removal of said snow and ice formations from said surface.

1 An aerosol device for use in dispensing a fluid deicer composition onto a surface to remove snow and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container containing said de-icer composition having a dispensing outlet and a manually operable valve assembly disposed and secured at said dispensing outlet of said container, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button, a cover-cap fitted over said valve actuating button and secured to said container about said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage and an aperture for receiving said valve actuating button, said valve actuating button having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, and a pair of blade members integrally formed with said cover-cap for mechanically aiding in the removal of said snow and ice formations from said surface, one of said blade members having a straight scraping edge and the other of said blade members having a serrated edge.

14. An aerosol device for dispensing a spray de-icer composition onto a surface to remove snow and ice formations therefrom comprising, in combination, a pressurized aerosol container having a dispensing outlet and a valve assembly disposed at said dispensing outlet, said valve assembly including a valve and a valve actuating button, a conically shaped cover-cap secured to said container about said valve assembly, said cover-cap having a discharge passage, and diametrically opposite to said discharge passage, a finger recess portion having an aperture therein for receiving said valve actuating button, said valve actuating button having an aperture aligned with said discharge passage for permitting said de-icer composition to be dispensed therethrough, said finger-recess portion having a shape adapted to accommodate a finger of the operator for depressing said valve actuating button so that said discharge passage is directed away from said operator when said device is in use, and at least one blade member integrally formed with said cover-cap adjacent to said discharge passage for mechanically aiding in the removal of said ice formations from said surface.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said blade member flares outwardly from said cover-cap and is provided with a beveled edge.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein a second blade member having a plurality of teeth is integrally formed with said cover-cap.

References tCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 178,481 8/56 Abplanalp 5826.06 2,532,429 12/50 Sparkman 15--236 2,772,430 12/56 Moritt 15-111 X 2,780,825 2/57 Kopcrzynski 15-235 X 3,107,033 10/63 Sanborn 222-182 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AEROSOL DEVICE FOR DISPENSING A FLUID DE-ICER COMPOSITION ONTO A SURFACE TO REMOVE FROST AND ICE FORMATIONS THEREFROM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER HAVING A MANUALLY OPERABLE VALVE CONSTRUCTION AND A VALVE-ACTUATING BUTTON ENGAGEABLE THEREWITH, A BELL-SHAPED COVER-CAP HAVING A FINGER-RECESS PORTION AND AN APERTURE IN SAID FINGER-RECESS PORTION FOR RECEIVING SAID BUTTON, SAID BUTTON EXTENDING BEYOND SAID APERTURE WHEN SAID VALVE STRUCTURE IS IN BOTH AN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITION AND LIES BELOW THE CREST OF THE WALLS FORMED BY SAID RECES, THE CREST OF SAID RECESSED PORTION HAVING A SLIGHTLY RAISED AND ROUNDED PERIPHERY NEAR THE TOP THEREOF WHICH PRECLUDES THE INADVERTENT ACTUATION OF SAID BUTTON AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PROMINENT CONCAVE PORTION SO THAT THE INDEX FINGER OF THE OPERATION IS ACCOMMODATED TO DIRECT THE FLOW OF SAID DE-ICER COMPOSITION IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID OPERATOR WHEN SAID BUTTON IS DEPRESSED, A SCRAPING-CLEANING BLADE WHICH FLARES OUTWARDLY TO FORM A WIDE SCRAPER EDGE DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID RAISED PORTION OF SAID COVERCAP AND A PASSAGEWAY THEREIN FOR PERMITTING THE FLUID CONTAINED IN SAID DEVICE TO BE DISCHARGED THERETHROUGH. 